Twenty Years of Letting Our Light Shine Another successful day for Special Olympics
5-17-08

            Saturday May 10th marked the twentieth consecutive year the Summer Games for Special Olympics Allegheny County has been hosted by the Baldwin Whitehall School District. This years Baldwin High School Special Olympic Club members under the direction of Ms. Levy and Mr. Murray did an outstanding job carrying on the tradition of great Summer Games for more than 400 Special Olympic athletes including 30 athletes from our BW Highlanders. The rainy weather in the early morning moved the opening ceremonies MC’ed by Leah Grosse and Nick Teslovich into the gym. This move was applauded by many in attendance. We received many positive comments about the gym and the fact they could hear the speakers and presentations.
            Athletes from 20 training sites competed in more than 50 events. The BW Highlanders team grew to 30 athletes this year. In the past 5 years we have grown from 1 or 2 athletes competing, to a team of more than 30 athletes. One of the most enduring facts about Special Olympics was evident again Saturday. The tremendous range of abilities exhibited by the athletes was evident through the day. For example, some athletes ran the 100 or 200 meters fast, others walked far, while others walked 10 meters. Some athletes threw the mini Javelin, others a softball, while other threw a tennis ball. Athletes on Wheels competed in tricycle races and wheelchair races. All athletes proudly competed for medals and ribbons regardless of their level of ability.
Volunteers are an essential component to the success of the games and once again this year the Baldwin Whitehall School District and the community came through with tremendous support. Special thanks to the students, staff and administrators who gave up their time to ensure the success of he games. Students began planning the games in January. Students spent all day Friday preparing the field and stadium for the game. The Athletic Boosters ran the concession stand and donated the proceeds back to Special Olympics. Parkvale Bank donated $5000 and once again organized a tremendous Fun fest area for the athletes during the games. Volunteers from LandAmerica surprised Kathy Guy, the director of Special Olympics, with a check for $6,200. Guardian Protection, Highmark employees and the Lions Clubs in Allegheny County are just a few of the many community groups who sponsored the games. We would like to thank all the  sponsors and volunteers who have helped make the past 20 years so successful.

High School Partners Class Excels at Special Olympics Basketball Tournament
4-1-08

      On Sunday March 16, 2008 several members of the BHS Partners Physical Education Class and Special Olympics Club participated in the annual Special Olympics Allegheny County Basketball Tournament held at The Fitzgerald Field House.  Athletes from across the county competed in three events: an individual skill competition and both three-on-three and five-on-five games.  Michelle Martinez, Ashley Mummert, and Brandon Fisher competed in the skills competition for the BW Highlanders. The competition consisted of timed dribbling, shooting technique, and passing accuracy. They were all individually acknowledged for their proficiency within this category and awarded medals.  Our five-on-five team, Justina King, Ryan Berry, Roy Hairston, Sarah McLane, Maggie Murphy, Phill Pantuso and Qualin Sebree also were recognized for their excellent play in their division and were honored with a first place, gold medal. 
    Members of the Partners PE class under the direction of Coach Laughlin and Coach Murray, worked with these athletes for the past six weeks preparing and improving their skills in the game of basketball.  Our team has worked together to accomplish and improve personal goals that the athletes have set for themselves. 
We are incredibly proud of our team’s victorious accomplishments and winnings.  Through this journey of practice and performance, we have realized that a key solution in conquering our goals this basketball season was teamwork.  When game time came it was obvious that our hard work, dedication, and commitment to our teammates all paid off in our favor.  We are looking forward to hosting and competing in this year’s Special Olympics Allegheny County Summer Games May 10th.  by Alexis Fisher & Megan Leslie

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Students Volunteer at State Special Olympics Winter Games
3-12-08

      Seventeen members of the Special Olympics Club spent a very rewarding day volunteering at The Special Olympics PA Winter Games at Hidden Valley 2-25-08. The event committee was extremely happy to see us from the time we walked in the door. We were responsible for running the intermediate Giant Slalom the event with the most racers. Our Baldwin students did an outstanding job organizing the races, recording times and officiating on the course. Standing on the mountain for two hours in the morning and another 2 hours in the afternoon with the temperature in the twenties made for a very challenging day. Lindsay Bacik, Nikki Bobrzynski, Hanna Brendel, Magan Cass, Micaela Famiglietti, Lexie Fisher, Jennifer Kimmick, Magan Leslie, Tori Stock, Brittany Swinson and Amber Voit all rose to the challenge.
     Dave Barton, Sara Dieter, Ryan Flanigan Ali Stark and Vinny Thornton were escorts for athletes. They skied with the athletes and helped make sure the athletes arrived to their race on time.
     Faculty advisors Allison Levy and Joe Murray assisted our students at the start and finish line of all the races. “I was very proud of our students today. Their efforts were essential to the success of this competition.” said Mr. Murray.

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